Sugary Drinks and Childhood Obesity

I gave a lot of presentations this week about making healthy choices and avoiding sugary drinks. Sugary drinks are defined as sugary sodas, sports drinks, iced teas, juice drinks, vitamin waters, and energy drinks.

I must be doing something right. After I did a presentation at one school, the kids went home and hid their Dad's soda (he was not happy). Another child went home and said "Mom, I need to switch to 1% milk". Another child went home and educated his whole family about how much sugar was in their soda. His parents were shocked and the child was so pleased that he knew something that they did not know! There is a quote that I love - and I am paraphrasing - but it is something like "you aren't making change unless people are mad at you". I know these parents so it was extra amusing.

Last week I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Harold Goldstein, the Executive Director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, talk about a new advocacy initiative called Kick the Can which specifically targets sugary drinks and their huge role in the childhood obesity epidemic http://www.kickthecan.info/.

I know that it is not new information for most people that sugary drinks are unhealthy. Frankly it is one thing for adults to be drinking soda (though your kids are watching you!) who are capable of understanding the health consequences, but it is quite another to deliberately market these products, which are proven to be harmful, to children.
 
Dr. Goldstein shared 8 reasons why focusing on sugary drinks can make a large impact in improving childhood obesity.

1. the large amounts of sugar (obvious)
2. the fact that these drinks are consumed in such massive quantities (Americans drink 45 gallons of sugary drinks per year)
3. the proven link between sugary drinks and obesity and diabetes
• 41% of kids ages 2-11 drink a soda a day
• 62% of teens drink a soda a day
• this is an extra 175 calories a day = 15 extra pounds a year
• every additional soda increases the risk of diabetes by 60%
4.  there are absolutely no nutritional benefits- soda is merely a sugar delivery device
5. offers poor calorie compensation - it does not make you feel full so it becomes ADDED to calories to what is already consumed as food
6. causes tooth decay
7. mostly marketed to children
8. The beverage environment has changed (change in soda size)
• 6.5 oz. in 1920
• 12oz. in 1960
• 20 oz. 1990's

Eliminating sugary drinks is not the only solution to childhood obesity. There are many causes and many solutions. I work with plenty of families that don't drink a lot of soda, and still have weight problems. But this campaign should urge all of us (schools, community centers, sport teams, our homes, scouting events, after care programs and after-school activities)   to take a good look at the unhealthy environments our society has created for kids. How can we ask our children make healthy choices when the environment around them is so contrary to these efforts? We go to school and have class parties and birthday parties. After school there are playdates which for some reason are so special that cookies and juice drinks have to be served. Then we drink sport drinks after soccer practice and games, and we eat dessert after dinner. It feels like there are red light foods everywhere!

If we are truly going to make an impact in reversing this epidemic which is causing our kids to be at risk for major health problems, and more depressed, stressed out, and tired, then we need to focus on creating environments that are making it easier for them to make healthy choices, not more difficult.

Healthy Halloween Ideas

Halloween can be a challenging time for kids and parents who are trying to make healthy choices but the holidays can be particularly difficult for children who are trying to control their weight.

I suppose it would be OK to have one day of treats if Halloween was truly only one day a year, but as with many of our holidays, Halloween seems to start at least 4 weeks before the actual day.

With all of the parties and and celebrations with friends, co-workers, sport teams, scouting troops, and classrooms, we must celebrate Halloween at least 10 times before October 31.

Here are some popular ideas to make Halloween a little bit healthier:

• Don't buy your candy until a day or two before you hand it out.
• Better yet, make sure you buy candy and hand out candy that you don't like!
• After your kids come back from trick-or-treating , have them pick out their favorites, then re-give it out what they collected when the older kids come by.
• A true favorite: try the "Switch Witch" or "Halloween Ghost".  After trick-or-treating and candy sorting, have your children pick out 10-20 of their favorite candies. The rest can be put out on the doorstep for the "Switch Witch" or "Halloween Ghost" who takes the candy and leaves a small present. 

•  Be the parent or teacher that offers to bring fruit and healthy snacks to the Halloween parties. The watermelon ghosts and bats made with cookie cutters and these string cheese fingers are a huge hit! (there are a lot of great food ideas on sites like Pinterest)

http://tistheseasonblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/cheese-finger-food.html

• Handout small toys like spider rings - everyone likes spider rings!
  

  

  www.orientaltrading.com

  
  

  
  

• Most importantly, don't keep the candy in the house for very long. Keep it for a few days, if necessary, then donate it. Get it out of the house so you and your children aren't tempted.

http://oldegreencupboard.blogspot.com/

Have a Happy, Healthy Halloween.

 Clementine Jack-o-Lanterns

No Food Birthdays at School

Yes, it is true. A school I work with just started NO FOOD BIRTHDAYS and the staff said it is going great! The teachers and administration drove this initiative and collectively agreed to implement this rule school wide.

Last year we tried to make changes across the district encouraging teachers and parents to bring in healthier birthday treats. We saw and continue to see great progress. Parents have gotten creative with fruit by making fruit salad in an ice cream cone, fruit kebabs and fruit mosaics. 

 

However, the staff at one of the schools said that by the end of the year, the unhealthy foods just keep coming back and by then it is harder to enforce.  They also mentioned that there is a lot of disagreement between children, parents, teachers and administrators about what is considered healthy and unhealthy. The increase in the number of food allergies is also a concern. It was easier for them to implement a “NO FOOD BIRTHDAYS” rule.  Of course every student is acknowledged on their special day, but instead of cupcakes with transfat frosting, students get to go out 5 minutes early for recess. Some children have donated a book, game or PE equipment for the classroom in honor of their birthday.  

If a parent really wants to bring in a non-food item for the students, teachers say yes but they don’t encourage it. One teacher told me “if a parent really wants to bring in a toy for each child, they can, but I actually try to discourage them from doing it. I don’t want the parents to spend that extra money and we all have so many pencils, silly bands, erasers and bouncy balls!” The teachers were also quick to recognize that students often have several birthday celebrations with friends, parents, grandparents, and a sports team or scouting group so there are plenty of other opportunities to celebrate with food.  

Teachers still have the occasional class party to celebrate a holiday but these only happen about 4 times a year and the treats are limited to one per party.

I get a lot of parents, teachers and administrators who tell me it can’t be done. I am delighted to share a success story of one school that collectively agreed on NO FOOD BIRTHDAYS. Instead of being upset, the teachers told me that parents are incredibly relieved and most importantly that the students are happy.

Perhaps other schools will be inspired to try to limit birthday celebrations with food.

Soccer Season - Post Game Snacks

As I have mentioned before, I feel very strongly that it is our responsibility as teachers, parents, and coaches to teach kids how to make healthy choices. By providing unhealthy snacks after athletic events, we are doing the opposite! And we are giving our children contradictory messages. We tell our children to run around, be healthy and active, eat your fruit and vegetables, and when you are done with your soccer game, baseball game, basketball game, race etc. it is okay to eat junk food...?

In this case I am not even speaking as a childhood obesity expert, though experts feel this is one of many contributing factors to the childhood obesity epidemic. I am speaking as a parent, athlete, coach, and teacher. Why do we want our athletic kids to fuel their bodies with junk? Not only does it affect their performance on the field, it affects their attitude, behavior and energy before, during and after the game...long after the game.

This is the third year in a row that all of the soccer teams that my 3 daughters play on have collectively agreed to have no treats after soccer games. Parents bring fruit at half time, and that is it. It has been great. No one, including the kids, complain. Parents are relieved and the kids are over it. Most kids are on their way to a playdate, birthday party or scouting event anyway...

We have gotten so used to the no post-game snacks that I was surprised when I saw the snacks of a teams that was playing right before us. Each child got a bag of chips, a rice krispy treat and a sugary orange drink. When I do comment on the abundance of unhealthy post-game snacks, a frequent parental response is "they are kids so they can eat whatever they want". Now that may or may not be true - it depends on your child , but skinny or overweight, it is not healthy for any child to be eating junk food before, during or after an athletic event.

The irony! Last week I gave a presentation at a couple of different school assemblies on the topic of "Making Healthy Choices". I taught the kids about Red, Yellow and Green light foods and sugary drinks. A couple of the children at the assembly were also on my soccer team so I asked them what color foods the other team was eating after their soccer game. Their response was "A lot of Red Lights!" 

As a parent, athlete, teacher and health educator, I feel tremendous responsibility to teach kids, all kids, how to make healthy choices. We know that eating healthy food and exercising regularly improves academic success, social and emotional health, sleep habits, and of course, athletic performance. Don't we want our kids to feel and perform their best, all the time?